Liquid solutions are currently used in the calibration and quality control of sensors used in blood gas, electrolyte, and/or metabolite instrumentation. For liquid reagents with pre-determined gas concentrations, specifically oxygen, these liquid reagents are typically stored in glass ampoules or laminate barrier pouches, where the barrier material serves to maintain a pre-determined amount of dissolved gas in a solution. However, the shelf life of these solutions may still be limited as a result of degradation products and/or cross-reaction products as well as the permeability of some of the barrier materials, which leads to changes in the oxygen levels of the liquid reagents over time. Maintaining oxygen levels within reagent bags utilized with blood gas analyzers and other types of instrumentation remains a well-known problem in the art because of the oxygen permeability of most polymer-based reagent bag materials. Currently, the only means to minimize such changes in oxygen levels of liquid reagents is to use a better oxygen barrier material and/or to keep the liquid reagents under low temperature to reduce the kinetic energy of oxygen. In addition, the current systems do not have a mechanism by which to alter the level of oxygen present in reagents; thus, different bags/devices are required for each oxygen concentration level desired.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for new and improved compositions, kits, and devices for controlling and generating different oxygen levels in calibration and/or quality control reagents used to monitor the performance of, for example but without limitation, blood gas, electrolyte, and/or metabolite instrumentation, as well as methods of producing and using same, including (but not limited to) methods of accurately measuring the oxygen levels so generated in said reagents. It is to such compositions, kits, and devices for controlling and generating different oxygen levels in calibration and/or quality control reagents, as well as methods of accurately measuring the oxygen levels so generated in these reagents, that the presently disclosed and/or claimed inventive concept(s) is directed.